Structural member.



R. A. OSMUN.

STRUCTURAL MEMBER. APPLICATION FILED MM. 1911.

1,297,228. Patented Mar. 11,1919.

YZSHEETS-SHEET I- INVENTOR WITNESSES I M BY ficfww w. 021% ATTORNEY R. A. OSMUN.

STRUCTURAL MEMBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 1912.

R 0a a m w W m ,T u v 1: N 15 a j 1 w I ML. t Mm n #d/ w um m2 n b a D1 9 l v WV a w F vI,\/\ .8 2 w m 2 7 a 9 2 O WITNESSES ATTORNEY RUSSELL A. OSMUN, or New YORK, N. Y.

STRUCTURAL MEMBER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

Application filed May 4, 1917. Serial No. 166,383.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUssELL A. OsMUN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Governors Island, New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Structural Members, of which the following is a specification.

.This invention relates to improvements in structural elements, and more particularly to building members'and mounting clips therefor, which are constructed to be used as toy building members or in other connections where a light an d more or less temporary frame work is desired.

An object of my invention is to provide building members adapted to be set up in inter-fitted and intermounted-relations and in providing spring clips or securing elements by which the building members will be held in the desired fitted positions.

A further object is .to so construct the clips and those formations of the building members with which they fit thatvarious I combinations and adjustments can be accomplished. 1

With the above and other objects in view, which will be understood from the specification, drawing, and claims, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts. which will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing several building members fitted together and held in place; 7

Fig.2 shows a detail view to better illustrate the manner of connecting certain of the elements; a

Fig. 3 is a view showing a slightly modified form of construction disclosed in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows yet another modification;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view to show the formation ofoneformof joining portion for the building members; l. v

Fig. 6 is a perspective. view 'showin slightly modified -building members and securing members;

Fig. 7 is a sectional View taken *on the line 77 of'Fig. 6; i

Fig. 8 shows a somewhat modified mounting of the building membersas illustrated in Fig. 6 with a diiferent form of securing member therefor;

. Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9.9ofFig.-8;.- V

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing one I of the holding or mounting members as illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a modified form of holding member for use substantially in the manner shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

Fig. 12 is a detail perspective view of one end of a modified form of a holding member which may be used substantially in the same manner as that shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

Referring now more. particularly to the disclosure in Fig. l and the other figures of Sheet 1 of the drawings, the main building members 1 are to all intents and purposes substantially identical in their form and counter parts of each other, Fig. 1 however showing two of the members 1 with their ends bent to overlie for the forming of a proper connection at a corner. The building members 1 have slot-like openings 2 provided therethrough and lugs 3 stand out substantially centrally at one side of these openings 2, after the manner better shown in Fig. 5. The several building members have these openings 2 formed in pairs, the two openings of each pair being spaced a predetermined distance apart, and thus as the ends are fitted in an overlapping relation and the openings 2 are brought into register the lugs 3 will be substantially co -extensive as is shown in Fig. 2. Where strut pieces, girders, or cross pieces are to be employed these can be constructed after the manner of the brace or holding member 4: which has the body thereof shaped to give proper strength with the end bifurcated and formed into springia'rms 5 and 6,.these arms being bent to occupy the branched relation as shown in Fig. 1. The ends of the arms 5 and 6 are made of such size that they will tion of these brace or holding members 4,

sheet metal stripscan'be used and the body portion can be bent to substantiallythe an- .gular form shown in the drawing which will give theproper strength thereto and as the arms 5 and 6 are branchedfrom this body portion and the material is of spring metal, sufficient spring will. be inherent. in the arms that when they are fittedwithinthe slots 2, they will spring to apositionto lock.

within the openings 2 and with the lugs 3 received through the openings formed at the ends of the arms.

Under some circumstances it may not be necessary to hold the brace or holding members 4; against turning with respect to the building members 1, and under these cir cumstances the substantially circular opening 9 can be provided as is shown in Fig. a and then the cross or girder members can be set to any angle with respect to the building members. However, under some conditions it may be found necessary to hold and support the brace or girder members in predetermined angular disposition with respect to the building members 1, and with this purpose in view certain of these cross members will be provided with the branched or substantially rosette shaped openings 8 in the ends of the arms thereof, and then when the spring arms 5 and 6 are forced within the openings 2 of the building members l and are snapped over the lugs 3, the brace or holding members a will be positively locked and held in the angular disposition which they are set. Under circumstances where it is not desired to use the brace or holding members a, it may be found necessary to establish a connection between the interfitted or overlapped ends of two adjacent building members and therefore I provide the securing or holding menr bers 10 which have the overhanging clip port-ions 11 provided thereon to fit over the upper edges of the two overlapping members while the body is held back against one side, spring fingers 12 being provided at such spaced apart points that they will be received in the openings 2 as the same are formed in pairs through the various building members. these spring fingers having slots 13 therethrough for the reception of the lugs 3. As shown at ll. in Fig. l. the securing or holding members might be bent angularly or otherwise formed in their body portions and then would be adaptable for use in special connections. in placing the securing members in place, the clip port-ions 11 will be placed upon the upper edges of the overlapped building members 1 and the inner ends of the spring fingers 12 will be fitted through the slots-.2 following which pressure is exerted upon the body and the spring fingers are tightened sufficiently that they ride over the lugs 3 to such points that the lugs fit within the slots 13 when these fingers 12 again spring baclr to the normal position and in consequence lock the holding member in place and at the same time secure the two building members in an overlapped mounting.

The building members 16, as shown in Fig. 6 are to all intents and purposes very similar to the building members 1, a diver sion however being here illustrated as the opposite ends of the members are shown as being slotted and tongued after the manner shown at 17 and 18. The tongue 18 is offset slightly to one side and thus this tongue can be fitted through the slotted opening 17 of an adjacent building member and two members can in this way be mounted in the proper fitted position. However, it is preferable that additional securing means be employed and with this purpose in view 1 provide the slotted openings 19 at suitably spaced points in the members 16 and then form the spring securing member 20 to have resilient arms thereof fitted in these openings 19 to hold the overlapped members in the proper fitting.

As showing another adaptation and a modification in the use of the substantially rosette shaped opening, illustrated in Fig. 3, l have in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive shown the building members 16 as having these branched or substantially rosette shaped openings zl formed therein in such arrangement that they will register when the building members are fitted together in the overlapped mounting. By turning the two adjacent building members to the desired angular setting, substantially after the manner shown in Fig. 8 and then inserting the spring clip 22 in the registering branched or rosette shaped openings 21, the building members will be positively locked and held against return swinging movement to be alined, or movement to vary the angular arrangement. In Fig. 11 I have shown a slightly modified form of the spring clip, and as is here illustrated, the clip member 23 has openings 2st in the free end thereof and thus a clip is provided which can be mounted and held in the registering opening 21 against displacement by simply engaging the clip in the openings with the knobs or lugs between the branches of the openings ll ted in the slots 24. of the clip.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided structural elements which in the main include building members of any desired shape and size, and more or less resilient holding members to be fitted in conjunction with said building members to hold the same in various set-up relations, and

while I have herein shown and described only certain specific forms and constructions of the various elements, and have specified particular manners in which the parts can be detachably fitted and connected together, it will be understood that a number of other changes a-nd'variations' might be resorted to in view of which fact I wish to be limited only to such points as may be provided with registering apertures, said apertures provided with securing lugs formed in the sides thereof, and said holding members provided with apertured tongues fitting over said lugs and firmly securing said building members together.

2. Structural elements comprising a plurality of building members provided with overlapping ends and having registering apertures formed therein, holding members provided with slotted ends fitting in said apertures of said building members, lugs formed in one side of each aperture and formed to fit in the slots formed in said slotted ends of said holding members for firmly locking said building members together and holding said holding members against accidental displacement therefrom.

3. Structural elements comprising a plurality of building elements provided with overlapping ends and having registering apertures formed therein, lugs formed upon the periphery of said apertures, holding members provided with projecting ends adapted to fit in said apertures and cooperate with said lugs for holding said building members in assembled relation and preventing the accidental displacement of said holding members therefrom.

4. Structural elements comprising a plurality of building members provided with overlapping. ends, said overlapping ends provided with registering apertures formed therein, said registering apertures provided with lugs formed in the sides thereof, a holding member, said holding member provided with overhanging clip portions adapted to extend over the upper edges of said building members, said holding members also provided with laterally extending fingers fitting in said apertures for holding said holding members in proper alinement, said laterally extending fingers provided with elongated apertures formed therein adapted to fit over said lugs whereby said holding members will be held against accidental displacement from said building members.

5. Structural elements comprising a plurality of building members provided with overlapping ends and having a plurality of registering apertures formed therein, holding members carried by said building members, said holding members provided with laterally extending spring fingers being gradually curved to constitute a frictional engaging portion, said spring fingers fitting within said apertures, and means carried by said holding members for overhanging the upper edges of said building members and facilitating the holding of said building and holding members in assembled relation.

6. Structural elements comprising a plurality of building members, said building members provided with overlapping ends, said ends provided with registering apertures, holding members fitting over said overlapping ends and provided with laterally extending spring tongues, said spring tongues being curved outwardly for constituting a frictional engaging means with said building members, lugs formed upon the periphery of said apertures, and said tongues provided with slots for fitting over said lugs and locking said fingers in engagement with said building members.

7 Structural elements comprising a plurality of building members, said building members provided with overlapping ends, one of said ends provided with a transversely extending slot, the other end provided with an off-set longitudinally extending tongue fitting through said slot, said last mentioned member also providedwith a plurality of parallel projecting fingers adapted to rest flat upon one face of the adjoining member, said members provided with registering apertures, and a holding member fitting within said apertures for locking said building members against longitudinal movement relative to each other.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUSSELL A. OSMU N.

Witnesses H. GoonRIoH, GEO. BENTZEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

